Mr. Justice H. Taschereau, then rose to propose
the toast of the evening, being received with loud and prolonged
cheering.
He said, -
"GENTLEMEN, - I have now the honour to propose the toast of the
evening - the health of our distinguished fellow-countryman, our guest,
Louis Honore Frechette, the poet of Canada, crowned by the Academy of
France. You have heard, gentlemen, the loud hurrah of all Canada in
honour of one of her children, and here, perhaps, I might cease
speaking. Nothing that I might say could increase the glad strength of
the general voice of the country, when the news arrived here that the
grand arena of literature, the French Academy, an institution whose
life is counted by centuries, and which is without equal in the world,
that great interpreter and infallible judge of the difficulties, the
beauties and the genius of the French language, had given one of its
annual prizes, and perhaps the finest of all - the prize of poetry - to
one of our countrymen. I could never fittingly express or depict the
sentiments of pride and joy felt by all lovers of literature in this
country - I may add of all good Canadians - when the news came from
beyond the ocean, from that sacred France, mother of civilization;
from fairy Paris, capital of the Muses, that Mr. Frechette had been
crowned! But, as Chairman of this happy reunion, at the risk of but
faintly re-echoing the general sentiment, I must at least try to
express my feelings in proposing this toast.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 73 of 864
Words from 19917 to 20175
of 236821
